Article II Overview

‘English literature’ designated a much broader scope as an educational subject, including

poetry, fiction, history, biography, scientific, didactic and expository writing, from the 18th
century to the mid-19th century. During the 18th century, the learning of English emphasized on
the ability to produce oral and written discourse and emphasized on communication skills while
in the 19th century, it focused on the comprehension rather than production. It also started
focused on grammatical instruction and error correction.

The writer of this article was rather smart in introducing the controversy of the use of
literature in EFL/ESL before presenting the counterarguments that gave an insight and triggered
another point of view on the matter. At the first impression, the writer let the reader wander the
point of rejecting literature for language teaching, but then, the writer cleverly mentioned the
positive arguments to counteract the negative comments earlier. This made reading this article
rather insightful and intuitive which cause the reader wanted to read more. This also gave the
idea that despite the controversy explained by the writer, he actually disagreed since he can
provide valid arguments on the benefits of using literature. This let the reader guess which side
the writer was really on.

The Essence of Controversy on the Use of Literature in EFL/ESL

The first mentioned controversy was literature’s structural complexity, and unique and
sometimes non-standard use of language prevents the teaching of grammar which was one of the
main goals of language teacher. Savvidou, 2004, stated that “the creative use of language in
literature often deviates from the conventions and rules which govern standard, non-literary
discourse…” Hence, literature did not aid grammar teaching and it was the main goal of
language teaching during that era which caused literature to be looked down on. The creative use
of language in the literature text deviated from language conventions and rules which made it
inappropriate materials to teach grammar. Instead, it could be used as a field for developing an
understanding of language usage through different methods; consciousness raising and form-
focused instruction. The later involved word focus and common expression.

Secondly, it was argued that literature did not offer anything for English for Academic
Purposes (EAP) and English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The moods and messages in literature
had been argued to say that it will not assist the teaching of EAP and ESP as they require direct
relevance. Nevertheless, the author agreed that literature can foster learners’ motivation to read
and write their overall reading and writing proficiency. It could also serve academic and
occupational needs.

Thirdly, literature had been said to be culturally charged. Students may find conceptual
difficulty in understanding the text due to the cultural elements majorly influencing the literature.
It would also hinder the learning of the target language instead of facilitate them. Yet, there was
an opinion that teaching of culture was integral, organized components of target language. Thus,
literature was the best ground for genuine exploration of the target culture. Language was
interconnected with culture due to the poet’s or author’s background. Therefore, it was
significant awareness for cultural differences.

Payoffs of Literature

For the second part of the article, the writer explained clearly why the exploration of
literature can be beneficial in ESL/EFL teaching. Firstly, it provided meaningful context that
involves a profound range of vocabulary, dialogues and prose. It also would appeal to students’
imagination and therefore enhanced creativity. Literature also encouraged critical thinking and in
line with CLT (Communicative Language Teaching) principles; meaning is the outcome of
interaction between the reader’s experience on the one hand, and the text’s language, the reading
context and the ideological assumptions underlying the text on one another. Accordingly,
literature can enhance meaning.

Literature also introduced variety of text into the language classroom apart from whatever
being provided in the textbook. It can serve as stimulus for a composition. It is also a perfect
means for constituting content for content-based classes. Literature can also encourages talking
as it helps generate purposeful regenerate questions. It could also provide highly motivated small
group work provided that every group members is willing to participate in the activity created by
the teacher. Literature could also makes for dramatic vocabulary growth and the contextualized
teaching of sentence types.

Literature also has the potential to consolidate the four language skills; reading, writing,
speaking and listening. It also requires learner to think out and put into practice the special
reading strategies to deal with the idiosyncratic characteristics of verse and prose. Hence, it could
broaden intellectual perspectives and boosted cognitive maturations. It also helped learners
develop feelings for the language they were learning, as postulated by Ladousse-Porter 2001 who
agreed that reading a work of literature activates and enhances the reader emotional intelligents
(EQ). Thus, it made literature suit to the language classroom where the constituents of EQ (self-
awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills) contributed to the more
effective language learning.

It had been seen that the writer presented the current consensus of opinion regarding the
integration of literature in language programs as overwhelming, and by far exceeds the points of
controversy.

References

Savvidou, C. (2004). “An integrated approach to teaching literature in the EFL classroom”, The
Internet TESL Journal, Vol 2, No 12. Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Savvidou-
Literature.html

Ladousse & Porter, G. (2001). “Using literature in the language classroom: whys and
wherefores”. English Teacher: An International Journal, Vol 5, 27-34